Burny RLC-65 Vs Gibson Les Paul Custom

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored video. The guitar was given to me by its owner for a review. This is an honest review and represents my personal opinion.
This guitar is for sale on reverb by its owner: reverb.com/en-bg/item/7664973...
I did a direct comparison between my 2008 Gibson Les Paul Custom Alpine White and the 1990 Burny RLC-65 Snow White with the VH-1 pickups. The Burny costs only about a fourth of the price of the Gibson but it is almost just as good. In fact I was not expecting it to be that good. I measured and weight them both, did a tone comparison and explained a little bit about the history of Burny and Fernandes.
0:00 Intro
1:16 The history of Fernandes
7:52 My Gibson LPC
9:12 Gibson & Burny
12:08 The Specs
13:26 The Pickups
15:23 Bridge & Tailpiece
16:25 Body & Neck
22:24 Back & Electronics
24:07 The Weight
24:21 Gibson vs Burny Tone
27:28 My Thoughts
Facebook: / georgevguitars
Instagram: / georgevarbanov
Gear used to record this video:
Amp: Diezel VH-4 120W Head
Cab: Diezel 2x12 Vintage 30 Rear Loaded
Mic: Shure SM57, Audio-Technica AT2035
Interface: M-Audio 192/4
Camera: Sony A6400 with Sigma 30mm F1.4 and Iphone 13 Pro Max
Stands: Athletic stand for cab microphone
#guitar #gibson #lespaul

[@milkandhoneyrecords]

Thank you for playing actual riffs and chords when doing the A/B tone comparison. It drives me nuts when I want to check out a guitar review and they play nothing but clean lead licks soaked in reverb. This was super helpful.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

🙏🏻

[@Willl_b_]

wow the burny headstock diamond looks so damn cool. best headstock design i've seen on any les paul, ever.

[@jamesseverin]

Man!! Your video reviews are so friggen good! I look forward to each and everyone of them, Thanks!!!! Your channel is awesome

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Awww, thank you 🤘🏻

[@mountainpeakcloud8442]

So I got my Burny rlc-60, have had it for 2 weeks now, and I absolutely love it! It's totally filled the void of wanting a Gibson LP custom, and I'm so glad I went for it rather than an Epiphone. Build quality is great, feel is great, and the tone is great... sounds like a great les paul, and I already have a Gibson LP Standard from 2001 (I bought new) to compare it to, and it totally holds it's own. The VH1 pickups are slightly more vintage sounding, which is great with my high gain amps, because it kind of takes some of the harsh fizz off the top, and makes cleans just sparkle. I was thinking of changing the bridge pickup to a SD super distortion before getting it, but now I'm going to keep the existing VH1 cause of how great it sounds. I really lucked out with a deal, $800 shipped from Japan to the US, which is pretty good considering the prices have been rising to average $1100-$1200 plus tax and shipping. I know you can get these cheaper if you're in Japan, but I'm not, so I feel fortunate. While the split diamond with always be the original headstock inlay, I really love the lightening bolt diamond, cause it has the right general shape, but also looks unique and cool. Thanks for your review, it really helped in making my decision to pull the trigger, as I was very apprehensive with ordering from Japan, but it was a very smooth transaction with a good seller.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Does it still fill the void, almost a year later?

[@mountainpeakcloud8442]

@@GeorgeVGuitars Yes, it does!

[@ericlopez9640]

Very nice guitar and great review as always. Compensating for something? Classic.

[@georgetwydell6166]

Been watching a few of your videos! Glad to hear you got the white custom back :)

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah man, that was lucky

[@georgetwydell6166]

@@GeorgeVGuitars Ive got a 2009 Black Custom. Basically the same as yours apart from the colour. I bought it brand new in the same year... now the paint has worn off on the back, the gold hardware is ageing heavily now, the lacquer around the Gibson and the diamond inlay is cracking a bit. Id show you pictures if it was possible on here! Customs are beautiful guitars.

[@Zoso981]

I like your videos dude. I've always wanted to get my hands on a Burny, but they're pretty rare here in the U.S.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Thank you. Well yeah but you got other pretty rare stuff from Gibson and Epiphone there. 👀

[@Neilybob100]

Brilliant in-depth review. I have a tobacco burst Burny RLC-70. Love it. Have you checked out the Fernandes Revival Strats?

[@Cookie4yabro]

At the time LP copies built in Japan were so close or even better than the originals that Gibson went crazy in which people associated the period as the Gibson Lawsuit era.

[@obmen_veshei]

Hans Christian Andersen

[@user-yj8yk6ef3s]

Thanks! Its great review!

[@Nik-8it5p]

My Burny custom is a later model, even tho it's made in China, still has Grover tuners and switch craft electronics. I love it :) . GREAT VID 👍👍

[@CrowaX]

Nice video! I got the same Burny guitar. Only difference is that mine is from 1990 and a bit more "relic"/beaten up. I'm pretty happy with it!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

This one is from 1990 as well ;) How is the fingerboard on yours? Is it dark as this one, and are the frets low?

[@CrowaX]

@@GeorgeVGuitars Woops! I ment to say mine is from late 1989. The fingerboard and frets seem identical to yours. I like low frets, so I'm not complaining. Had some problems with holding it in tune tho. Added new Gotoh bridge and locking tuners, but maybe the problem all along was the nut. Due to angle break with the strings it just needed a bit softer edges. A friend of mine have a Gibson Les Paul Custom and I was thinking of doing a comparison video myself, so I'm glad you did it. You did a much better job than I would ever do!

[@mountainpeakcloud8442]

Great review! I just purchased a Burny rlc 60, based on all the reviews and videos I’ve seen, including yours. I’ve always wanted a Les Paul Custom, but came to the realization that I’m not going to be able to afford what they go for today, so it was either getting done of the inspired by Gibson Epiphones, or getting on of the old MIJ LP custom copies. I do prefer the improved Epiphone headstock over the older ones, but I still feel like it’s falling short of the Gibson open book, and even though it seems like a small superficial detail, it matters to me… it’s what stopped me from getting the Jerry Cantrell and Adam Jones Epiphones, despite them being more favorite 2 guitarists of all time. I ended up deciding in the Burny, cause people seem to rave about them and they sound samples have all been really good, so I’m really hoping the one I get lives up to the hype. I also really like the lightening bolt design on the Burny headstock… it looks cool, unique, but still fits the part without looking strange. I have a Gibson LP Standard from 2001, which I love and is my main guitar, so I’ll be comparing it to the Burny. I’d be curious to know how close the Burny could get in tone to the Gibson if they both had the same pickups. Since I’m getting this from Japan, I’ve read that it’s recommended guitars shipped to you sit in the box for 24 hours to avoid checking on the surface from temperature and humidity changes. Would you recommend this, or do you just take the guitar out of the box as soon as you receive it? Cheers.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Good choice, I would also take a MIJ Burny over any new Epiphone. The 24 hour thing is mainly for Nitro instruments. The 60 has the Poly finish so I tink you should be fine with only a couple of hours.

[@mountainpeakcloud8442]

@@GeorgeVGuitars Cool, thanks man!

[@dragan4658]

Wow! Congratulations! It was a good day getting your Gibson back! I prefer ot when the color fades to yellow! The Burny guitars when converted from 60000Yen is only $550 Canadian. That's cheap! Unfortunately the headstock diamond is gone from the current Burny line up. I will look into ordering one. Thanks for the history lesson and showing us your amazing guitars! ******edit***** unfortunately only sold in Japan so used is all that we can get unless we have a fruend in Japan****

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Thank you, check Reverb.com

[@dragan4658]

@GeorgeVGuitars thanks. I have checked Reverb, their shipping is way overpriced. Currently working with a shop in Japan.

[@Dawnseeker]

Burny sounds darker and quieter on clean but I like the distortion and crunch more with it. Probably that solid mahogany body and the pups

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah a lot of things matter

[@pinodilorenzo886]

Gibson is a great company with very consistent lemons 😮 I’ll keep my 80’s BURNY

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Well... you know what they say... When life gives you lemons - get a Burny :>>

[@deftonedigga]

If you put the same pups, wiring pots and caps in, I reckon there would be very little in it between these.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Soundwise yes, playability is still in favour of the Gibson

[@valeriocorv]

I am confused about the price. On the website it's 60'000yen (450€ - i'm from Italy), but it's not possible to buy it on the website so there are many private that sell it (Randy Rhoads model) for about €1'500. If the price is about 7/800€ ok; I have the new Epiphone LP Adam Jones Custom and I'm in love with it but now I want a white model of a custom (no Gibson, it's too high the price for me).

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

They don't sell directly out of Japan.

[@Invading-Specious]

Thank you.

[@slashingbison2503]

Both nice, however to me the burny has so much more personality tonally. I have an tobacco burst 1978 FLG , i changed out all the hardware - tuplip tuners, 36th anniversary PAF's with alnico 2's (replaced the alnico 5's in them for slash tones), faber hardware , orange drops, CTS 500k pots, orange drops - its a rock beast, its a slash tribute and i swear i cant tell the difference from November rain tone!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Nice

[@TheMrMRsmoke]

Do you like burny vs greco vs tokai? It looks like the 80s burny are closer to Gibson but other years, greco and tokai has better consistency regarding quality.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I have a lot of friends who own Greco and Tokai so I will definitely review them as well.

[@Ahlgren539]

I had many burnys and grecos, definitly prefer the burnys

[@obiwankeblowme2805]

26:12 what’s that song called?! Please tell me lol

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Guns'n'Roses - Nightrain 👀

[@BoogyWoogyCreep]

I thought the tones were pretty close. The Burny was a tad thinner sounding, but I could only hear it on the Crunch channel. Otherwise, if you can get your hands on a Burny, its literally money in the bank!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah, good value

[@Ahlgren539]

The burny vh-1 pickups are more vintage sounding with more clarity. The gibson customs usually sells with 490r and 498t pickups wich are darker (fuller?) sounding. You would hear the same difference between 490/498 and classic 57:s

[@OctoberSoda]

I have a RSC-100 it's a very very rare super custom with a Floyd Rose and is my best playing guitar! So much sustain!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

🍻

[@ws6206]

Those are rare, way to score one! I have a rare oddity as well, a 1989 LC-100YS.

[@OctoberSoda]

Wow I've wanted on of those for a long time! So cool you have one!@@ws6206

[@stormshadow2k]

Wow was that Nightrain by GNR ?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah :>

[@raytorvalds3699]

Great review/comparison as always. Plus a bonus: I learned that bunnies pee on their feet which makes them turn yellow (that made me laugh).

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah 🐰

[@650thunderbird5]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@StevieZero]

I have the Burny rlc55 randy rhoads and a 93 Gibson LesPaul studio I much prefer the Burny it plays and feels much better...Was slightly disappointed in the Gibson when i got it, the Burny pickups are a lot better too...Paid a grand for the Gibson and 500 for the Burny...

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

The Burny is slightly better in quality so that is normal

[@user-oz4vt4hv9l]

I have Burny RLC-55 RR 1984 year too. Very nice guitar. It is a money in bank.

[@Ahlgren539]

Put a set of burny vh-1s in the gibson (instead for the awful dull 498/490) and it would sound almost as good as the burny..almost..

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Sure :>

[@joshuatulloch6449]

Regarding the Burny v Bunny: Burny (Bunny) and Greco both share the same serif style font. The R in both logos has a serif from the R that causes the R to appear as N - you may have seen a few Gneco headstocks. Greco did change their headstock decal to avoid this confusion but Burny did not. I therefore suspect that it was not intentional that Fernandes named the brand as Bunny but did indeed intend to name the brand Burny. I suspect that they later learned of the identity crisis but decided to 'lean into it'. Does an early Burny logo exist without the serif on the R? This would disprove my theory. I suspect it is perhaps an internet myth to explain the serif style on the R. ....

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Good info, thank you!

[@Ahlgren539]

Theres info out that the in the beginning called the bunny :) they changed to burny when they realized what it meant in english :D

[@joshuatulloch6449]

I'd be interested to see that 'evidence' I do know that Burny used a rabbit in their marketing material. I assumed this was after they realised the identity crisis with the serif typography - it is identical to Greco@@Ahlgren539

[@saarbrandvin7749]

Love mij les paul

[@fawerty-rx]

Sultan’s Curse opening was amazing i haven’t even watched the review yet lmao

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Thank you, I love that riff :>

[@shawnvalor571]

Honestly sounds like the Burny has less resonance and less string sustain, but has more pop. The gibson is simply deeper in most cases, I'm going to attribute that to pickups.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yep, they do

[@ws6206]

These are VH-4, NOT VH-1 despite the sticker. The original VH-1s were no longer made after a number of years and were actually VH-4s but were still branded as VH-1s. VH-1s have braided cables, not solid plastic. I have a pair of these and can confirm.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Interesting info, thanks

[@Ahlgren539]

They are also called ”gen 2” vh-1 :) great pickups anyway. The early ones are soundwise more like sd alico II pro, the later towards clssic 57:s, higher output and slightly fuller sounding

[@ws6206]

@@Ahlgren539 I have these in a 1989 Burny and on the clean channel, they are some of the worst sounding pickups I've ever tried. They're nasally and muddy. On the dirty channel, however, they sound phenomenal so maybe they're just meant for gain/distortion and not clean.

[@Tuslpd1987]

How do you know the burny is from 1990? 🤔

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Educated guess

[@Ahlgren539]

Most 80:s burny customs have the same diamond as gibson, changed about 1987

[@artorwhat]

Wow

[@MTLYMRDR]

Burny pretty much sounds better overall except from the crunch examples.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Probably will do better in the crunch examples trough another amp

[@MTLYMRDR]

@@GeorgeVGuitars I don't think it was to do with your amp settings or anything I think Gibson's crunch is so hard to match let alone be better!

[@Edward1312]

The Rosewood on the Burny was dyed at the factory that's why it looks so much like ebony! What a great guitar it is for the price you can pick them up secondhand and especially compared to the outrageous price of the Gibson. Chinese made Burny customs are better than the inspired by Epiphones let alone the Japanese ones, and the modern Chinese Burny's are cheaper than the modern inspired by Epi customs.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah seems so

[@rockerbob949]

How has Gibson not tried to take legal action like they have against any other company making Les Paul style guitars?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Because just like Edwards, Burny are in Japan where Gibson's patent doesn't apply.

[@user-vz1xi6oi1j]

Отличный обзор!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Thank you

[@gabemanson8918]

The Gibson is slightly creamier and bassy but I prefer (personally) the Burny, more versitable to me.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah both are good.

[@erwinmilan5310]

swap their pickups every comparison test.sounds always comes out from the pickups.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Mmmm, not only from them

[@awesomefearsome]

Burny sounded better to me.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

👀

[@MauricioCaran]

Do you know what you will waste grabbing a Burny les paul in place of a Gibson ? Nothing. High quality instrument. And for those who don't know, Burny is prohibited to sell in USA. And if you thing Gibson sounds better, just replace the pickups in Burny and you get the sact same sound. 60% of the price of the Gibson you pai do have the Gibson logo in the headstock.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Its not only the logo but yeah I get your idea

[@captainkirk70]

Plus Epiphones don't go up in value and the headstock is hideous. My Burny has almost tripled in value since 2021. And the Epiphone pickups are total garbage.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah Burny is a good choice if you have the money.

[@captainkirk70]

@@GeorgeVGuitars The MIC Burnys are the same price or cheaper than Epis.

[@trevor4533]

That pickguard tanline though. Interestingly enough, I bought a white LP studio off a friend years ago. And when I went to take the pickguard off, the area under the pickguard was DARKER than the whole guitar! Weird...

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah that is weird

[@bc454irocz89]

i wanna see more fine ladies 😂

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Soon 🤣

[@enabledintergers9372]

what are you talking about ! The Burny Smoked That Les Paul!!!!! The Burny was clearer on this end!! and louder how the action is set is impossible to tell from a video you need to physically play it must be the pick ups? or you have different amp signals? don't blame it on your terrible stiff playing!! jesus

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Okay, I'm gonna cry now :/

[@colinpadley1897]

Sound the same, sell the Gibson

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah no 🤣

[@tunahasturk3982]

Gibson sounds like a gibson, Burny sounds like regular guitar. Good sound but nothing special.

[@work_n_roll]

Gibson sounds like "oh, it's Gibson on the headstock", this thing is close even with it's own old weak pickups, same set in Burny can surprise you

[@epitaph3988]

The Burney sounded better here than the Gibson imo.

[@gnashvillecat6654]

I Love my Burny/Bunny guitar

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Which model do you have?

[@gnashvillecat6654]

I have I believe an 80s Randy Rhoads Model with the Split Diamond Peg Head.@@GeorgeVGuitars

[@ebs777]

burny was a bit too dark sounding. but both are sweeeet

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

🤘🏻